Sparking indicator.



H. J. SASS & O. H. SHAW.

SPARKING lNDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29, 1916.

Patented Dec. 26,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

mwm mn Jae/33721 02191 63662? J 562L363 D STATES HERBERT J. SASS AND OLIVER H. SHAW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

srAnKme INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

iatented Dec. 26, 1916.

Application filed February 29, 1916. Serial No. 81,111.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT J. SAss and OLIVER H. SHAW, residents of Norwood Park, Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Sparking Indicators, of which the following is a specification.-

Our invention relates to sparking indicators that is devices designed for use in connection with a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine for ascertaining whether or not the spark plugs of the engine are sparking during operation of the engine.

The object of our invention is the production of an indicator as mentioned which will be of simple and economical construction and through themedium of which the spark plugs of an engine may be readily and quickly tested to determine whether or not the same are operating.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification, and in which Figure 1.15 a partially diagrammatic plan view of an indicator embodying the invention and connected up for cooperation with the spark plugs and magneto of a conventional automobile engine, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device, Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device withthe cover plate re moved, and Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged sections taken on lines 44 and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 3.

The preferred form of construction as illustrated in the drawings comprises a stationary holder or rectangular block 6 of insulating material. To the member 6 are secured side pieces 7 and 8 and end pieces 9 and 10 of insulating material.

The stationary holder 6 carries platinum sparking points 11 which are provided at the inner ends of binding posts 12 which are threaded in said holder. Lock nuts 13 cooperate with the binding posts 12 to lock the same in position. Additional nuts 14 are provided for fastening the conductor wires to said posts.

Formed in the front side of member 6 IS an elon ated channel 15 in which is slidably mounted an elongated movable holder 16 of insulating material. The member 16 is held in position in channel 15 by'means of a cover plate 17 which is also of insulating material. Carried by the holder 16 are laterally pro ecting arms 18 of conductive material which are countersunk in said holder and which are provided at their outer ends wlth platinum sparking points 16 adapted for coiiperation with the sparking points 11 in the formation of sparking gaps as will be readily understood. The arrangement is such as will be seen that the sparking points 19 may be moved toward and from the points 11 in order to increase or decrease the width of the gaps formed between said sparking points by simply shifting the holder 16 in channel 15.

The arms 18 are secured to the member 16 .by means of rivets or other suitable fastening devices 20 which pass through said holder, said members 20 being provided at their inner ends with elongated heads or plates 21 which constitute contact members. Mounted in the stationary holder 16 are binding'posts 22 locked in position by lock nuts 23, additional nuts 24 being provided for securing of the conducting wires thereto. A constant electrical connection between the binding posts 22 and the contact plates 21 is established b means of brushes 25 of carbon or other con uctive material which are held in constant engagement with said plates 21 by means of helical compression springs 26 which are interposed between the brushes 25 and the heads or inner ends of binding posts 22, said springs serving also as a means of electrical connection between said brushes and ost's.

Sliding adjustment of movable holder 16 is effected by means of a screw 27 which is threaded in the end member.10, the inner end of said screw 27 being in swiveled connection with the corresponding end of said holder. A knurled exteriorly positioned head 28 afi'ords means for readily manually rotating saidscrew in order to secure the desired adjustment ofthe member 16 and hence of the movable sparking points 19 carried thereby. Formed in the cover plate 17 are spaced exposure openings 29 through which the s arking gaps may be viewed as will be rea ily understood.

In using the device the same is preferably mounted upon the dashboard of the automobile, laterally projecting ears 80 being provided for this purpose. The binding posts 12 are connected with the magneto o the automobile engine and the binding posts 22 are connected with the spark plugs of the engine. With this arrangement it will be seen that the device is in series with the magneto and spark plugs so that when it is desired to test the spark plugs it is only necessary to adjust the screw 27 to move the sparking points 19 from the sparkmg points 11.

1 mobile from a position in the drivers seat of the vehicle.

The device also serves as a means of cleaning the spark plugs, it having been found that when the sparking points are adjusted to form a comparatively wide gap between the corresponding spark points, the charge accumulates in order to force a spark across the gap, thus resulting in considerable disturbance at the sparking points in the spark plug which in many instances will remove any foreign matter which may be coating the same.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of this invention. We,therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to availourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A sparking .indicator comprising, in combination, a stationary holder of insulating material; a channel provided in one side of said stationary holder; a movable holder of insulating material adjustably mounted in said channel; a plurality of sparking points carried by the stationary holder; a plurality of sparking points carried by the movable holder adapted to be carried toward and from said first mentioned sparking points by movement of said movable holder; and means for moving said movable holder, substantially as descrlbed.

2. A sparking indicator comprising, in combination, a stationary holder of insulating material; a channel provided in one side of said stationary holder; a movable holder of insulating material adjustably mounted in said channel; a plurality of sparking points carried by the stationary holder; a plurality of sparking'points carried by the movable holder adapted to be carried toward and from said first mentioned sparking points by movement of said movable holder; and a manually adjustable screw cooperating with said movable holder for adjusting the same, substantially as described.

3. A sparking indicator comprising, in combination, a stationary holder of insulating material; a channel provided in one side of said stationary holder; a movable holder of insulating material adjustably mounted in said channel; a plurality of sparking points carried by the stationary holder; a plurality of sparking points carried by the movable holder adapted to be carried toward and from said first mentioned sparking points by movement of said movable holder; a manually adjustable screw cooperating with said movable holder for adjusting the same; binding posts on said stationary holder; and spring pressed brushes for connecting said binding posts with the sparking points of said movable holder, substantially as described.

4. A sparking indicator comprising, in combination, a stationary holder of insulating material; a channel provided in one side of said stationary holder; a movable holder of insulating material adjustably mounted in said channel; a plurality of sparking points carried by the stationary holder; a plurality of sparking points carried by the movable holder adapted to be carried toward and from said first mentioned sparking points by movement of said movable holder; means for moving said movable holder; binding posts on said stationary holder; means electrically connecting said binding posts with the sparking points of said movable holder, said means comprising elongated contact plates at the under slde of said movable holder electrically connected with the sparking points thereof; and spring pressed brushes mounted in said stationary holder adapted to constantly engage with said plates and electrically connect the same with said binding posts, substantially as described.

5. A sparking indicator comprising, in combination, a stationary holder of insulating material; a movable holder of insulating material adjustably mounted on said stationary holder; a plurality of sparking points carried by the stationary holder; a

ing material; a channel provided in one side of said stationary holder; a movable holder of insulating material slidably mounted in said channel: a plurality of sparking points carried by the stationary holder; binding posts electrically connected with said sparking points; a plurality of spaced arms of conductive material carried by and laterally projecting from said movable holder; sparking points on the outer ends of said arms adapted to be moved toward and from said first mentioned sparking points by movement of said movable holder; binding posts in said stationary holder in constant electrical connection with said arms; and manually operable means for moving said mo"- able holder, substantially as described.

7. A sparking indicator comprising, in combination, a stationary holder of insulating material: a channel provided in one side of said stationary holder; a movable holder of insulating material slidably mounted in said channel; a plurality of sparking points &

carried by the stationary holder; binding posts electrically connected with said sparking points; a plurality of spaced arms of conductive material carried by and laterally projecting from said movable holder; sparking points on the outer ends of said arms adapted to be moved toward and from said first mentioned sparking points by move ment of said movable holder; binding posts in said stationary holder in constant electrical connection with said arms; and an exteriorly projecting screw having one end in swiveled connection with said movable holder for adjusting the latter, substantially as described.

In testimony .whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT J. SASS. OLIVER H. SHAW. Vitnesses JOSHUA R. H. PoTTs, HELEN F. LILLIS. 

